The Nairobi county government has renewed the enforcement of a shisha ban as a result of the emerging use of the banned tobacco products in some of the city’s entertainment joints.

Shisha (Hookah) products were banned in Kenya in 2017 but they are still prevalent in major cities.

This has caught the eye of the Nairobi county government which has directed the Head of the Tobacco Control Unit to liaise with the relevant departments to crack down on Shisha dens in the city.

County Public Health Chief Officer Tom Michira Nyakaba directed the Head of the Tobacco Control Unit to ensure compliance as anticipated under the Public Health Act, Cap 242, and the relevant tobacco control laws.

“In lieu of the correspondence from Office of The Clerk, County Assembly Ref: NCCA/SC4ISC/CORR/2022/03 (copy attached) to the County Secretary, and onward transmission to this office, you are hereby instructed to take necessary enforcement action as anticipated under the Public Health Act, Cap 242 and the relevant tobacco control laws,” Michira wrote in a letter dated January 13, 2023.